Local young women benefit from Vail Resorts’ philanthropic program, EpicPromise

As part of Vail Resorts’ EpicPromise program, Colorado Mountain Express (CME) has partnered with The Cycle Effect by donating a 15-passenger Ford E350 van to the organization.

The Cycle Effect is a relatively new non-profit organization that supports a key EpicPromise criterion – youth development – by helping young girls to develop confidence and life skills through the sport of mountain biking. With its rapid growth in Eagle County and expansion into Summit County, the Cycle Effect’s need for transportation was made clear in the Company’s grant process. Through Vail Resorts’ philanthropic giving council, a vehicle donation was seen as the most beneficial way to foster The Cycle Effect’s plans for more growth and delivering bikes to young women.

“Through the Vail Resorts Epic Promise program, CME can donate transportation services and vehicles to nonprofit organizations in need,” said Robert Tschupp, vice president and general manager of Colorado Mountain Express. “Our dedication to helping youth and environmental programs in the regions in which we operate is important to us, and their work is crucial to build stronger communities.” As CME upgrades its fleet each year, it makes sense to find ways to give back to the community and help nonprofits as much, if not more, than a cash donation.

The Cycle Effect was started in 2010 by Brett Donelson whose goal was to create an opportunity for committed and driven middle- and high-school-age young women who Donelson believes should be able to participate in a sport that he and many of his friends and colleagues in the mountains are so passionate about, regardless of their background or financial status. The Cycle Effect has since provided top-of-the-line mountain bikes and equipment and professional training in Eagle and Summit counties. Through the program, participants have improved their self-esteem and fitness levels and competed in race events throughout Colorado. Through it all, life-long skills of teamwork, stress-management and healthy competition are also found.

“One of the reasons for the growth of The Cycle Effect is that reliable transportation to races and training is a hurdle for many of the girls,” said Brett Donelson, executive director of The Cycle Effect. “In order to get these young ladies where they need to be and to allow them to fully participate in The Cycle Effect, we need vehicles. CME's van has proven to be safe, reliable and in excellent condition. We simply could not run our program without vehicles like these.”

This is the fourth consecutive year that CME and Vail Resorts have donated a van to a deserving nonprofit organization in Summit or Eagle County. Vans have previously been donated to the Keystone Science School, Friends of Dillon Ranger District and SOS Outreach.

Additionally, EpicPromise supports The Cycle Effect through its annual grant program. EpicPromise is Vail Resorts’ sustainability brand, which includes all of the Company’s environmental and community giving efforts. Through the brand, Vail Resorts contributes more than $7.8 million each year in cash and in-kind donations to critical non-profits that carry out youth and environmental programs in the communities where the Company operates.

Eagle, Garfield, Pitkin and Summit County residents invited to donate Saturday, November 15th as part of 9Cares Colorado Shares Day

Colorado Mountain Express (CME)'s 17th annual Fill the Van food drive gets underway on Saturday, November 15th across Eagle County, Garfield, Pitkin and Summit Counties. From 9 a.m. to 2 p.m. CME vans will be parked in front of City Market stores in Vail, Eagle and Avon with staff accepting non-perishable food donations for the Vail Valley Salvation Army. Donations will also be accepted at the Walmart in Avon, Gypsum's Bella's Market and Edwards' Village Market. Glenwood Springs and Aspen City Markets will be filling the van for the pantries of Lift-Up between 9 a.m and 2 p.m. In Summit County, the Colorado Mountain Express Fill the Van Food Drive stocks shelves for the Family & Intercultural Resource Center at Breckenridge and Dillon City Markets.

As part of a joint fundraising effort between Colorado Mountain Express, Vail Resorts, 9News, and the Vail, Avon, and Eagle Police Departments, the donations will remain in the county in which they were donated. Beneficiaries include Summit County’s Family and Intercultural Resource Center (FIRC), the Vail Valley Salvation Army and Bright Future Foundation in Eagle County and Lift Up of Roaring Fork Valley. Last year, CME and VR Echo collected more than sixteen tons of food for Colorado food banks.

Food and monetary donations will be collected between 9:00 a.m. and 2:00 p.m. on Nov. 15th. Collection sites include:

Summit County

Dillon - City Market

Breckenridge – City Market

Eagle County

Vail - City Market

Avon - Wal-Mart

Avon - City Market

Edwards - Village Market

Eagle - City Market

Gypsum - Bella's Market

Roaring Fork Valley

Aspen - City Market

Glenwood Springs - City Market

CME Rio Grande Trail Clean Up Day

CME's Silverthorne, Edwards and Glenwood Springs offices came to assist in cleaning approximately 1 mile of the Rio Grande Trail right outside of the Glenwood Springs office. The trail goes from Glenwood Springs to Aspen and is frequented by many locals and tourists.

Additionally, CME participates in several Vail Resorts community events throughout the year.

As part of Vail Resorts’ EpicPromise program, Colorado Mountain Express (CME) has partnered with the Ute Springs Experiential Learning Center (USELC) by donating a Ford E350 van to the organization. Ute Springs Experiential Learning Center’s primary goal is to promote children’s social-emotional wellness by helping them learn to build trusting connections and relationships, to improve their self-esteem and invest in their personal and social leadership skills.

“We’ve been pleased to support Ute Springs Experiential Learning Center through EpicPromise grant programs in recent years and it made sense that we support the organization even further this year with the van donation,” said John Dawsey, vice president and general manager of Colorado Mountain Express. “Ute Spring’s work in Eagle County is well-aligned with the values of our company and the mission of EpicPromise and we’re proud to be a part of building a stronger community through this donation. Owning a van will significantly improve the ability to continue fostering social-emotional leadership skills in youth for years to come.

This is the sixth consecutive year that CME and Vail Resorts have donated a van to a deserving nonprofit organization in Eagle or Summit County. Vans have previously been donated to Eagle County’s SOS Outreach and The Cycle Effect, as well as Summit County’s Family & Intercultural Resource Center, the Keystone Science School and Friends of the Dillon Ranger District.

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